Opening up an NPC creation series with a character I should have made ages ago – one with glasses. If you don’t know me, I’m basically finger-blind. Without glasses or contacts I am unable to count how many fingers you would be holding up if you are more than a couple feet away from me. And yet, I never have played a character or NPC with glasses. I actively avoided it.

After reading Deven Rue’s recent post about embracing characters with vision impairment or blindness I decided that needed to change.

Heading over to DM Heroes, I hit the random button until it turned up a character with glasses. Then, it was about creating a character with an interesting background who was not a quest giver. Because as Rue says, “Make us non-quest related. Just people in your world. Living. Existing.”

Meet Orne Willowrush

First up is a Simple Index Card Version of an NPC. These are designed so with just a few words you can know who an NPC is from a basic description of appearance, to some basic motivations. In Willowrush’s case he’s a former soldier who once fought for the realm, but now works as a cooper. In my deep belief that everyone in your D&D world should have a hobby he is a fisher. He is not skilled in fishing though. He just enjoys doing the calmness of fishing with his friends. He can get dreamy about his past, but also doesn’t like to talk about it. Orne recently lost his beaver – Tryn. He’s just newly bonded with an otter – Orla.

Orne’s best friend is a librarian named Incirion Vadu, a goblin. You can often find them at the river together, ignoring work. Incirion knows Mending, and will often have an extra pair of glasses for Orne.

Orne Willowrush

Dexterity, Strength +1	Stout Halfling, Conscript Fighter (3)
Constitution, Charisma -1	Cooper | Woodworking Tools, Fisher’s Tools
Padded Armor, Common Clothes, Glasses, Otter	Winestar, Lemplet Place
Staff, adze	Wants to relive past glories
Modest lifestyle, and will buy you a glass of wine	Daydreamer, Reticent, Recently lost his beaver companion

If you want him built as a fully playable character I’ve added him to my DnDBeyond Community Characters campaign. Orne on Beyond is a Scout rather than a Conscript, so as to not introduce new rules.

Winestar, Lemplet Place

Winestar is a neighborhood built along the rolling ridge of the Lemplet River. It’s a mix of farmsteads with a few crafts to support their needs. Most of the good produced enter the walled part of the city via barge or float. The Spring, across the river, is up on a cliffside, and is generally more wealthy than Winestar, especially those parts that are next to the castle walls. Within Winestar you will, of course, find many small vintners, with most of the homes at least having a passing hobby of wine creation. In general, Winestar produces luxury goods whereas Northroad is sustenance farming.

Lemplet Place is a city of about 4,300 people.

1. Blackbridge – known for the eponymous bridge, the downtown of Lemplet Place
2. Tidewater Place – the slums, used to flood with high tide
3. Castle Lemplet – originally built as a exterior castle, the city has grown around it
4. Trollrock – the northern block surrounds a huge rock hill with a cave inside, no trolls though
5. Northroad – sustenance farming
6. Winestar – grapevines, orchards
7. The Spring – for the wealthy that moved out of the city

How will you use Orne Willowrush in your campaign?